The Arctic in the Context of Global Energy Security: Conflicts and Geopolitics

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

This chapter interrogates the Arctic’s energy landscape as a mature – but rapidly reconfiguring – set of socio-technical systems embedded in global markets and governance. It juxtaposes commodity-centric framings of energy security (security of supply and security of demand) with a services-based approach that centers equity, reliability, affordability, and environmental performance for end-users. Synthesizing evidence from hydrocarbons, hydropower, wind, and critical minerals, the analysis shows how path-dependent infrastructures, Indigenous rights, climate risk, and industrial policy jointly shape feasible pathways. Rather than a “race for riches,” the Arctic’s strategic future hinges on aligning value chains and governance with the security of energy services – redirecting competition from territorial symbolism toward robust, just, and place-appropriate development.

Publication Title

Routledge Handbook of Arctic Energy Transition

ISBN

[9781032785424, 9781040516010]

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